22 April 2012

Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July

Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July | Technology ...
WASHINGTON (AP) - For computer users, a few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer. Unknown to most of them, their problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world. In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users. But that system is to be shut down. The FBI is encouraging users to visit a website run by its security partner, www.dcwg.org, that will inform them whether they're infected and explain how to fix the problem. After July 9, infected users won't be able to connect to the Internet. . . .www.komonews.com/.../Hundreds-of-thousands-may-lose-Int...

Don't Lose the Internet in July! FBI Repeats DNSChanger Warning
PC Magazine
By Damon Poeter If you've still got DNSChanger on your computer, you could be in for a frustrating summer. The FBI has repeated a warning that as many as half a million computers still infected with the malware could lose their Internet connections on ...

Technology gives missing children a better chance today
USA TODAY
"Technology has fundamentally changed how we search for missing kids," says Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The hunt for missing children has come a long way since the milk-carton alerts that appeared ...USA TODAY

From Your Computer to FedEx Via Google Cloud Print
PC Magazine
By David Murphy The convenience of Google's Cloud Print service is exactly what its name implies: The ability to print to any printer that any of your Google Account-connected systems are linked to. In other words, you can print to your home printer ...

What Apple could gain from an iPad mini
Washington Post
Rumors persist about a smaller iPad, which would diversify the company's product line but create potential headaches for Apple developers who like producing for the iPad's one-and-only form factor. A move to a smaller device may also draw scrutiny from ...

North Korea gets $15 website redesign, online souvenir store
Los Angeles Times
By Deborah Netburn North Korea has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on its ill-fated rocket program, but when it came time to give its website a facelift, the country decided to go the thrifty route. It turns out that North Korea's revamped ...

Ready to Blow? Mexico Volcano Rumbles
Discovery News
Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano has been spewing molten rock up to a mile from its crater. Popocatepetl is rumbling continuously, spewing gas and glowing rocks. The volcano, located 34 miles from Mexico City, has a long history of activity.

Michelin Recalls 77000 Tires for Safety Problem
ABC News
Michelin is recalling more than 77000 bus tires because sidewall defects can cause them to lose air rapidly, increasing the risk of a crash. The Michelin XZU2, XZU3, and XM505 tires involved in the recall were produced from 2005 to fall 2011 at ...

Sunday Dialogue: Books in a Digital Age
New York Times
Readers discuss e-book pricing and the future of publishing. The Letter To the Editor: Re “US Sues Apple and Publishers Over E-Book Pricing” (Business Day, April 12): The Justice Department's price-fixing suit against five major publishers and Apple ...New York Times

Facebook Invites More Comment on Policy Changes
PCWorld (blog)
By John P. Mello Jr., PCWorld Apr 21, 2012 10:25 AM Facebook began notifying some of its members Friday night that it is reopening the comment period for changes in its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (SRR). "Based on your feedback, ...

Using DNA, polar bear ancestry decoded
Bend Bulletin
By James Gorman / New York Times News Service Polar bears, long thought to have branched off relatively recently from brown bears over the past 150000 years or so to cope with life on Arctic Sea ice, are not descended from brown bears, ...

Apple, Google, Intel fail to dismiss staff-poaching lawsuit
Reuters
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - Apple Inc, Google Inc, Intel Corp and four other technology companies were ordered by a judge to face an antitrust lawsuit claiming they illegally conspired not to poach each other's employees. District Judge Lucy Koh in ...

Google doesn't like walled gardens — except its own
WebWorkerDaily
In a recent interview with the Guardian newspaper, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said he believes the future of the “open Internet” is at risk, because of the rapid growth of “walled gardens” such as Facebook and the app-device ecosystem developed by ...

DOTA 2 will be free-to-play "with a twist", Gabe Newell says
The Verge
By Tracey Lien on April 20, 2012 07:30 am 49Comments The sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) will be free-to-play "with a twist", according to the co-founder of Valve, Gabe Newell. Speaking on a yet to be released podcast shared by the producers ...

Don't Be Evil, but Don't Miss the Train
New York Times
BACK in 2004, as Google prepared to go public, Larry Page and Sergey Brin celebrated the maxim that was supposed to define their company: “Don't be evil.” But these days, a lot of people — at least the mere mortals outside the Googleplex — seem to be ...New York Times

Earth Day 42: Challenges linger, differ
Asheville Citizen-Times
Forty-two years after the first Earth Day, the planet remains endangered. If you would like to know what you can do, there are several options today. Asheville's Earth Day events will be held on Lexington Avenue from noon-10 pm There will be musical ...

Era of exploration ends as Discovery makes final landing
ABC Online
Many Americans are unhappy that their country has cancelled its only proven means of human space flight, with one prominent US commentator calling it another symbol of the super power's decline. ELIZABETH JACKSON: In the United States it was a ...

Samsung Galaxy S III Listing Spotted on Amazon Germany
PCWorld
By Christina DesMarais, PCWorld Apr 21, 2012 9:50 AM Less than two weeks before Samsung will introduce its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III has been spotted on a German Amazon site. The listing describes the device as having a 4.7-inch Super ...

Chip lets smartphones see through walls, clothes
NDTV
San Francisco: Researchers at a Texas university have designed a chip that could give smartphones the long-envied ability of comic book hero Superman to see through walls, clothes or other objects. A team at University of Texas at Dallas tuned a small, ...NDTV

Evolution seen in 'synthetic DNA'
BBC News
Researchers have succeeded in mimicking the chemistry of life in synthetic versions of DNA and RNA molecules. The work shows that DNA and its chemical cousin RNA are not unique in their ability to encode information and to pass it on through heredity.BBC News

Nokia Logs Loss as Sales of Less Sophisticated Phones Slips
New York Times
BERLIN — Nokia, struggling to reinvent its smartphone business around Microsoft's Windows software, said Thursday that it had a loss of €929 million in the first quarter as sales plunged 29 percent because of flagging demand for its older Symbian ...

Spring cleaning at Google means dump these projects
CNET
Google makes good on pledge to trim back on non-essentials, slashing several programs and services. by Rachel King April 20, 2012 2:55 PM PDT When Larry Page stepped up to the CEO gig at Google last year, one of his pledges was to trim some of the fat ...